Arizona Diamondbacks

Ralph Freso/Getty ImagesOutfielder Jason Kubel has been drawing interest as a trade chip.

While the name you most often hear about out of the Diamondbacks camp is Justin Upton, Jason Kubel has been drawing significant interest as of late as well.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that the Baltimore Orioles were interested in Kubel. However, Arizona was seeking young pitching in return, something that the Orioles are not willing to part with.

Additionally, Jack Magruder of Fox Sports Arizona tweeted that an agreement between the San Diego Padres and Diamondbacks that would send Kubel and/or Justin Upton to the Padres could not be reached.

This suggests that the Diamondbacks are still actively shopping members of their crowded outfield.

Earlier in the week, we learned from a collaborative piece by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi that both the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners have inquired about Upton also.

With the Texas Rangers having lost both Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli while also missing out on Zack Greinke, it would not be surprising to see them attempt to make a move for either D'Back outfielder as well.

Atlanta Braves

Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesThe Rockies have a high asking price for Dexter Fowler

While the Atlanta Braves have been tied to Justin Upton of the Diamondbacks, they have also eyed several other players to be their starting left fielder in 2013.

According to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves have looked at players like Dexter Fowler, Emilio Bonifacio, Peter Bourjos or Josh Willingham in the trade market.

Problems exist with every name on that list.

For example, the Twins have been relatively quiet on the trade front since moving Denard Span and Ben Revere, respectively, in exchange for numerous quality arms this winter, thus rendering the probablity of Willingham being traded to almost zero percent.

Bourjos appears unavailable now that the Angels have traded away Kendry Morales.

Bonifacio does not appear to be available at this moment after being sent to Toronto earlier this winter, as tweeted by David O'Brien.

That brings us to Dexter Fowler, who could really be an ideal fit in Atlanta. As a switch hitter he could both lead off and play left field, solving two problems in the lineup.

As O'Brien points out in his piece, Colorado’s asking price has been too high so far for Fowler.

The Braves have also said that they are prepared to enter the 2013 season using the team they have right now, which would likely consist of Martin Prado and Reed Johnson splitting time in left.

That being said, it is still hard to rule them out on Fowler and Upton at this point.

In addition, according to Jim Bowden of ESPN, general manager Frank Wren has not closed the door on bringing back Michael Bourn yet either.

Baltimore Orioles

In the 2012 American League Division Series, the Orioles lost in five games by a total of 16 runs to 10.

Simply put, they were outscored by one run, on average, over the course of five games. They fell just short offensively, yet managed to have the Yankees on the ropes.

The need for offense is likely why the Orioles have been kicking the tires on Diamondbacks outfielder Jason Kubel, as tweeted by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

In 2012, Kubel had one of the finest seasons of his career, batting .253/.327/.506/.833 with 30 home runs and 90 RBI in 141 games.

Comparatively, he would have led the Orioles in RBI while making for a fierce middle of the lineup presence along with Adam Jones and Chris Davis.

As Heyman tweeted, the Orioles would have to give up young pitching to obtain Kubel. If they decide to pull the trigger, free agent Joe Saunders has told the Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly that he would like to return to the Orioles in 2013.

“First and foremost, I’d like to come back to Baltimore and do some great things in 2013. But, from my standpoint, my hands are kind of tied. I pay my agent to do his job and hopefully it all works out.”

Saunders posted a 3-3 record with a 3.63 ERA and 1.276 WHIP in seven regular season starts for the Orioles after being traded from the Diamondbacks in 2012.

In the 2012 postseason, Saunders went 1-0 in two starts between the ALWC and ALDS rounds. He posted a 1.59 ERA and a 1.235 WHIP in 11.1 innings of work.

The O's should pull the trigger to bring Kubel in and sign Saunders to a multi-year contract.

Boston Red Sox

They've signed catcher David Ross, outfielders Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino, pitchers Koji Uehara and Ryan Dempster and are working a deal out with catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli. They also traded for closer Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates.

While none of those moves may come across as major transactions, all of which have filled necessary gaps in the teams lineup.

Now, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford, the Red Sox are being tied to free agent pitcher Javier Vazquez, who last pitched in the majors in 2011 as a member of the Florida Marlins.

At 34 years of age, Vazquez went 13-11 in 32 starts for the Marlins with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.183 WHIP.

While Red Sox fans may be hesitant to take a chance on Vazquez, it is worth noting that in his final month playing in Major League Baseball, Vazquez went 5-0 with a 0.71 ERA.

Additionally, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe discusses Jacoby Ellsbury and claims that he is a hard sell to some teams because he is both in a walk year and has been hurt often.

However, Cafardo points out that a team like Texas could make perfect sense as a landing spot.

It is hard to imagine the Red Sox not trying to move Ellsbury before the start of the season. This way, whichever team does take him on will be able to make him a qualifying offer and receive draft compensation when he presumably walks after the 2013 season.

Chicago Cubs

It appears that the Cubs may be done with their wheeling and dealing this winter.

The team did just extend an invitation to spring training to Dontrelle Willis, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

They have already signed Edwin Jackson to four-year, $52 million contract, which appears to be the big splash of the winter.

Now, the focus should shift onto continuing to build the farm system and cultivate the home grown talent.The next step in that process should be trading Matt Garza.

In a recent article by the Boston Globe'sNick Cafardo, the Cubs would listen to possible deals for Garza but that would require him to show that his injured elbow has healed in spring training.

Garza would be a valuable commodity for any team looking for an innings eater. He has thrown for 200-plus innings twice in his career and has another season in which he threw 198 of them. That isn't bad considering that he has four seasons in which he started 30 or more games.

In an online chat session with ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine, Levine mentions that the Blue Jays and Rangers have been the biggest suitors for Garza's services thus far.

The Cubs have the building blocks in place. They go by the names Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Jeff Samardzija and Darwin Barney.

Chicago White Sox

In an online chat session, ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine points out that the largest need of the White Sox right now is a left-handed bat.

There are two issues with that.

First, in a conflicting report, MLB.com's Scott Merkin thinks that acquiring a left-handed bat—like a Jason Kubel, for instance—would hinder the progress of left fielder Dayan Viciedo.

With that in mind, both writers agree that if the White Sox were to make a move at all, they would have to move some of their starting pitching, something they won't part with until they know John Danks is healthy for sure.

Then, Gavin Floyd would likely find a ticket out of town.

Understandably the White Sox would like to address that concern by adding another left-handed bat, and making a trade for a player like Kubel would require the Sox to bench the 24-year-old Viciedo in favor of Kubel.

However, should the team wish to remain creative, there are a couple of left-handed bats that are still available via free agency.

There is one caveat though: the available lefty bats are up there in age. For example, Bobby Abreu and Travis Hafner are a few of those that are left out there.

Abreu played in 100 games in 2012 posting a .242/.350/.342/.693 line, while Hafner played in just 66 games with a .228/.346/.438/.784 line.

Neither provides a sufficient enough upgrade over Viciedo's .255/.300/.444/.744 line in 147 games for the White Sox in 2012.

It would make sense for the team to take a wait and see approach with Viciedo.

If he can prove himself to be a worthy everyday player, then they should stick with the kid. If not, they can always explore trade options.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies finished the 2012 season with the worst team ERA in the league—a whopping 5.22 mark—with an equally ugly 1.549 WHIP.

It comes as no surprise then that they are looking to upgrade their starting pitching this winter.

Already the team has re-signed Jeff Francis and traded for Wilton Lopez.

Currently, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding, the Rockies intend to scout former Cy Young-winner Brandon Webb.

Historically, Webb is a solid ground ball pitcher. He won the 2006 NL Cy Young Award, led the NL in wins in both 2006 and 2008, and he also finished second in Cy Young voting in both 2007 and 2008 as well.

Then, shoulder problems caused him to only pitch 4.0 innings in 2009.

He has since struggled to get back to the majors.

This could be a classic low-risk/high-reward situation for the Rockies.

According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, along with Webb, the Rockies are rumored to be in on Jeff Karstens, another infamous ground ball pitcher.

However, it is worth mentioning that while the Rockies are looking for ground ball pitchers, the two very best in baseball in 2012 remain as free agents.

According to Fangraphs.com, Derek Lowe had a 59.2 percent ground ball ratio while Aaron Cook owned a 58.6 percent ratio.

While it is difficult to see the Rockies bringing Cook back, it is reasonable to suggest they could benefit from Derek Lowe's services.

According to McTaggart, Luhnow hasn't ruled out adding any more pieces, but the roster appears set for spring.

Says Luhnow:

"We do feel like any time we take someone off the roster we risk losing a player we want to keep, so any addition would have to be considered in that light," Luhnow said.

He would go on to describe his thoughts on the offseason, saying:

"In terms of our goals for this offseason, we wanted to improve our lineup offensively, we wanted to add some depth to the bullpen and add some depth to the starting rotation, and I think we've done all of that to a certain extent."

While the team was never really seriously in on Lance Berkman, it would have been nice to see the "Big Puma" return to Houston to retire after putting in so many quality years in an Astros uniform.

Kansas City Royals

Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesWith James Shields the Royals finally have an ace.

It has been refreshing to see the Kansas City Royals making waves this winter.

The pitching makeover started with a trade for Ervin Santana from the Angels. Then the team acquired James Shields and Wade Davis from Tampa Bay, while also retaining Jeremy Gutherie to solidify their pitching staff.

Additionally, they've signed Dan Wheeler and are taking a chance on Miguel Tejada.

Speaking of taking chances, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Royals were one of four teams that scouted Javier Vazquez.

Miami Marlins

According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, the Miami Marlins have not had any internal discussions regarding trading Giancarlo Stanton.

Stanton has been publicly critical of the Marlins since the team traded away a majority of its stars from the 2012 season.

In a November 16, 2011 interview with MLB.com's Peter Gammons, Stanton had this to say:

"I do not like this at all," Stanton said. "This is the 'winning philosophy?' Then to say it's not about money? What is the motivation? There comes a breaking point. I know how I feel. I can't imagine how the city and the fans feel."

Since that time, Stanton's name has been all over the Internet in various baseball blogs and message boards, with fans from across the league longing for the 23-year-old to patrol their respective team's outfield.

The question is: just how long will Miami hold on to him?

Just as recent as Sunday, Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Times reported that the Padres had been in talks with the Marlins regarding Stanton.

New York Yankees

Al Bello/Getty ImagesOne more go for Mo.

The New York Post'sKevin Davidoff outlines the Yankees need to add a few pieces in his January 6 article.

The Yankees were interested in bringing back Lance Berkman before he signed with the Rangers. While the team has been relatively quiet, short of bringing back aging veterans, they do still have some gaps to fill.

Davidoff goes on to say that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has excelled with low-risk, close to spring training pickups in the past few years.

The team is hoping to replicate that same type of success this winter.

That being said, the remaining low cost free agents are not extremely overwhelming, both in name or reputation.

Philadelphia Phillies

Alex Trautwig/Getty ImagesCould Scott Hairston be the fix for the Phillies OF?

The Philadelphia Phillies are still in need of some outfield help.

According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, despite already trading for Ben Revere, the Phillies are still in the market for a corner outfielder.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. addressed the team needs and stated that, and I'm paraphrasing here, the team has looked at both free agents and trade possibilities to fill the needs of the club.

With that said, Zolecki goes on to chronicle how the team has been interested in free agent outfielders Scott Hairston as well as trading for the Angels' outfielder Vernon Wells.

Hairston seems like a more logical choice for the Phillies. First and foremost, he is affordable. While salary has never really been an issue for the Phillies, Hairston made only $1.1 million in 2012.

Wells is still owed $42 million over the next two seasons.

Taking a look at the two, head-to-head, this is how their 2012 statistics stacked up:

Seattle Mariners

Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesKyle Lohse is just waiting for an offer.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Mariners badly want a hitter but are not ruling out improving their starting pitching either.

While Rosenthal says that the Mariners find Kyle Lohse too pricey and they don't want to give Joe Saunders a three-year deal, it appears that the longer these players are available, the more the odds are in the team's favor.

Tampa Bay Rays

Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesThe Rays are also interested in Javier Vazquez

The Tampa Bay Rays—much like the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals—were all in attendance scouting former MLB pitcher Javier Vazquez, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Vazquez could prove to be a nice commodity in Tampa Bay.

He is already accustomed to pitching in Florida after pitching for the Marlins in 2011, where he posted a 13-11 record in 32 starts while also recorded a 3.69 ERA and a 1.183 WHIP.

The Rays already have a cluttered rotation, but competition can be healthy in spring training.

After trading away James Shields and Wade Davis to the Kansas City Royals, the Rays are left with a rotation of David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb, Jeff Niemann, Roberto Hernandez and Chris Archer.

Having Vazquez in the mix could give the team a solid veteran presence and truly add to their embarrassment of riches.

In his own words, the idea is crazy. The Nats already have a solid closer and setup man. In addition, the bullpen is already well staffed.

However, the counter argument is also compelling. Washington has missed out on several left-handed pitchers this winter, so why not go after the best pitcher overall—albeit a right-handed one—that is left on the market?

Keep in mind, Soriano turned down a $13.3 million qualifying offer from the Yankees in order to reach free agency, and the likelihood of Natioanls general manager Mike Rizzo shelling out big dollars to a reliever is slim to none.

Now, on to the realm we call reality.

The Nationals need to bring back first baseman Adam LaRoche.

In a conversation with Adam Kilgore, LaRoche stated that he has been talking to multiple teams but he prefers to stay in Washington.

LaRoche would go on to say:

“Got to keep things open in case Washington doesn’t work out. I’m still hopeful that it will, but as you know it takes two sides cooperating to make that happen. I’m doing everything I can.”

It appears to be a stalemate, but the Nationals should not wait too long to make their move. It was being reported that the Boston Red Sox were talking to LaRoche as well, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Lastly, according to WEEI's Alex Speier, the Nats are also a team that has been scouting free agent hurler Javier Vazquez.